Starlit fund brightens astronomy center

HONOLULU – Thanks to an anonymous donor's $60,000 gift, the 2/10/50 A Starlit Walk into Eternity fund has been established at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa's Institute for Astronomy (IfA). The endowed fund will be used to support students, programs, research and community outreach at Institute for Astronomy, and further enhance its position as one of the world’s leading astronomical research centers.

"We are grateful to receive this very generous donation that will greatly benefit our students, astronomers, and staff at the Institute. It will also help us in our public outreach efforts, which have been enormously success,” said Dr. Rolf Kudritzki, director, Institute for Astronomy.

The gift comes at an exciting time for the Institute for Astronomy. Last year Mauna Kea was selected as the preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope, the world’s largest telescope, and Haleakala as the site for the Advanced Solar Telescope, a $300 million National Science Foundation project to study the sun. The IfA also received news last year that Honolulu was chosen as the location for the 2015 meeting of the International Astronomical Union General Assembly, the world’s largest meeting of professional astronomers.

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. Our mission is to unite our donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawai‘i and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhf.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students matriculate in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu.

Institute for Astronomy is internationally known, with unique access to Mauna Kea and Haleakala, outstanding faculty and graduate students, and cutting edge research and instrument development. These qualities keep us ranked among the top three universities doing astronomy research, and enable IfA astronomers to bring in $25 million of federal research funds annually—three times our state funding. The future is even brighter, with the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, Pan-STARRS, and the Thirty Meter Telescope coming to Hawaii in the next decade. For more information, visit www.ifa.hawaii.edu.